The Olympics start today!

The Winter Olympics start today and go for the next three weeks. Are you planning on watching?  What is your favorite sport to follow?

Secrets to a Weed Free Lawn

We have been discussing that the best way to a weed free lawn is to maintain a healthy lawn.  A key aspect of maintaining a healthy lawn is proper mowing techniques.

Here are the highlights:
1.  Don't cut off more than one-third of the leaf blade at a time.
2.  Mow often - usually once a week.
2.  Leave grass clippings on lawns to decompose; it returns nutrients to your soil.

For more detailed information, here are links to previous posts on the proper mowing techniques:
http://preferredlandscape.blogspot.com/2013/07/lawn-mowing-tips-for-san-antonio-lawns.html
http://preferredlandscape.blogspot.com/2011/06/make-your-lawn-happy-with-these-mowing.html

Secrets to a Weed Free Lawn - Feed It!

We have been discussing the best way to get a weed free lawn and creating a healthy lawn is the best way to do that.  We have discussed about the correct timing of a pre-emergent herbicide as well as the benefits of aerating your lawn.  Today we are going to discuss feeding your lawn.  Most of the nutrients required by a healthy lawn are supplied in the soil, but additional nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium may be needed to support healthy plants.

While most people realize that applying fertilizer is an important part of creating and maintaining a healthy lawn, many people don't know the right way to go about it.  The biggest mistake is the frequency of applying fertilizer.  Many folks like to fertilize once, right at the beginning of the season, to help with the green-up of the lawn in the spring.  While this will provide good short term results for your lawn, it is not the right long term solution.

Fertilizer should be applied several times during the year -anywhere from 3-5 depending on your lawns needs.  For most warm-season lawns,  you should generally fertilize in mid-April, early June (as may be needed to maintain a healthy green color), and early October.  Of the three fertilization times, the most important one is the fall fertilization because it helps the lawn grass over-winter better and enhances spring green-up in the spring.  

Another common mistake is not using the right type of fertilizer or the right ratio of nutrients. Fertilizers are labeled with three numbers that represent the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the product.    Use fertilizer with a N-P-K ratio of 3-1-2 unless you have your soil tested and it recommends otherwise.  

6 more weeks of Winter?

It has been a wild winter for most of the country including San Antonio with record setting low temperatures and ice/snow in cities that don't usually have any.  So are we in for 6 more weeks of winter weather or is spring just around the corner?

The groundhog,Phil, saw his shadow and predicted we are in for 6 more week of winter.  In the past, the groundhog has predicted a late winter 100 times and has only predicts an early spring 17 times.   Hmm...that doesn't seem quite fair! Bundle up and get ready for 6 more weeks of this cold weather.

Who are you rooting for tonight?  Enjoy the Super Bowl!

Secrets to a weed free lawn - Aeration!

This week we are talking about the best way to have a healthy lawn in an effort to snuff out weeds.

 Yesterday we talked about the importance of the right timed application of a pre-emergent herbicide.  Today, we are going to talk about one of the easiest ways (and least known ways) to gain and maintain a healthy lawn.

Many times a lawn will have no evidence of any insect or disease issues yet the lawn is off color, thinning or easily stressed in high heat. About 66% of residential lawns are growing in compacted soil and this is especially true in San Antonio where the little soil we do have is hard.  

The way to fix this issue is aeration of your lawn.  Aeration is the process where thatch and soil are pinched and pulled out of your lawn.  This process opens up the soil and allows water, nutrients, and oxygen to penetrate and improve the root zone. This results in a healthier soil and stronger turf root system which will help you to have a healthy, weed free lawn.

You can rent an aerator at your local rental center for usually for less than $100 a day and it doesn't take very long to do.  If you can coordinate it with your neighbors, you could probably get 3-4 lawns done in one day.  If you would rather leave it up to the professionals, let us know and we can help!

Secrets to a weed free lawn

The best defense against weeds in your lawn is to have a healthy lawn.  If you have a healthy, thick lawn, the weeds will have a tougher time taking root in your lawn.  So how do you make sure your lawn is healthy?  Over the next few weeks we will cover the best things you can do to have a healthy lawn.

One of the most important ways you can maintain a healthy, weed-free lawn is to start the year off right by applying a pre-emergent weed control product.  These products work best when applied prior to weeds actually germinating.  For the San Antonio area, late January to early March is typically the best time to apply a pre-emergent weed control to your grass.   

If you are applying yourself, avoid products that are "weed and feed" which contain both a fertilizer and a pre-emergent weed killer.  If you need help with your lawn or application of a pre-emergent, please give us a call at 210-657-7737.

Your Garden after the Freeze

Even if plants in your garden look blackened and wilted, new growth may still be possible from below the effected area. Pruning away the dead portions exposes buds that may still be alive and another freeze could wipe out those survivors.   It may take until mid-Spring before you see new growth; patience is key before you pick up the pruners.

Make sure your garden and potted plants remain moist. Water gives off heat, and this can protect plants from freezing.  Damp soil retains heat better than dry soil, protecting roots and warming the air near the soil.

The average last freeze for our area is March 1st so it is likely we will have another freeze this season!